1957 – Buddy Knox became the first artist in the Rock ‘n’ Roll era to write his own number one hit when ‘Party Doll’ topped the US singles chart. Knox would go on to score four more US Top 40 hits between 1957 and 1961.
1963 – The Chiffons started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘He’s So Fine’, which was a No.16 UK hit. In 1971 George Harrison was taken to court accused of copying the song on his 1970 ‘My Sweet Lord’ and ordered to pay $587,000 to the writers.
1963 – 16 year-old Lesley Gore recorded her breakthrough hit, ‘It’s My Party’. The song produced by Quincy Jones went on to be a US No.1.
1967 – During an appearance by Jimi Hendrix on Top Of The Pops a technician put on the backing track of Alan Price’s ‘Simon Smith and His Amazing Dancing Bear’, to which Hendrix responded ‘I don’t know the words to this one man.’
1967 – The photo session took place at Chelsea Manor studios in London with Michael Cooper for the cover of The Beatles Sgt. Pepper album. After the shoot The Beatles resumed work at Abbey Road studios on ‘With a Little Help From My Friends’ adding guitars, bass, tambourine, and backing vocals. The session began at 11:00 pm and ends at 7:30 am.
1974 – John Denver went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Sunshine On My Shoulders’, the singers first of four US No.1’s. Denver was killed in a plane crash on 12th October 1997.
1976 – The Sex Pistols played their first show at The 100 club, London, they begin a weekly residency at the club in June.
1978 – Paul Simonon and Nicky Headon were arrested in Camden Town, London after shooting down racing pigeons with air guns from the roof of Chalk Farm Studios. Four police cars and a helicopter were required to make the arrest. Their fines totalled £800 ($1,360).
1985 – Phil Collins started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘One More Night’, his second US No.1, it made No.4 in the UK.
1991 – Chesney Hawks started a five-week run at the UK No.1 position with his debut single ‘The One And Only. The song was featured in the film ‘Buddy’s Song’ in which he appeared with Roger Daltrey. The song was written by 80s singer Nik Kershaw.
1996 – The Prodigy started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Firestarter’, the first single from the album The Fat of the Land. The wah-wah guitar riff in ‘Firestarter’ was sampled from The Breeders’ track ‘S.O.S.’
2000 – Rolling Stone Mick Jagger made a nostalgic visit to his old school. He opened the new arts centre that had been named after him at Dartford Grammar. The singer said he had spent the worst years of his life at the school.
2000 – Mungo Jerry singer Ray Dorset was ordered to pay a former employee £620 ($1,054) in back wages after a tribunal heard he had harassed her after she left his company. Dorset told the court he had paid her double pay by mistake for ten months.
2001 – LeAnn Rimes reached an out of court settlement with her father and her former manager. The country star filed a lawsuit claiming the pair had stolen $12 million from her.
2004 – Timi Yuro, died from throat cancer aged 62. Was just 18 years old when she reached No.4 on the US charts in 1961 with ‘Hurt’.
2007 – A man was arrested by police and detained under the Mental Health Act after trying to force his way into Paul McCartney’s mansion, screaming: ‘I must get to him.’ The middle-aged man burst through security patrols into McCartney’s isolated Sussex estate; guards who feared an assassination attempt were scrambled to intercept him as he sped towards the front door. He was finally halted by trees and a fence just yards from Sir Paul’s six-bedroom home at Peasmarsh.
2013 – Music mogul Simon Fuller settled a copyright battle with TV network Fox over the US version of The X Factor. The British creator of Pop Idol and US version American Idol sued Fox and producers FremantleMedia, seeking a credit and fees from the US X Factor. The case followed a dispute between Fuller and Simon Cowell in 2004 over similarities between Fuller’s American Idol and Cowell’s UK show, The X Factor.
2013 – US music producer and pioneer of digital recording, Phil Ramone, died aged 79. Ramone was regarded as one of the most successful producers in history, winning 14 Grammy awards and working with stars such as Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Elton John and Paul McCartney. He produced the first major commercial release on CD, Billy Joel’s 1982 album 52nd Street. Ramone had been in hospital for several weeks, where he was being treated for an aortic aneurysm.
